March 31, 2011

Opening Day is a national holiday as far as I'm concerned. I'm on way way to NATS Park in the rain to watch the retooled Nationals take on the Braves and Jayson Heyward.

I led a discussion with Nats execs and top players yesterday and I'm feeling better about their prospects. Jayson Werth is a great add, defensively the team promises to be stronger which should help shore up the starting rotation which has a lot of question marks. I also like that the Nats have made some big investments in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Here's an MLB write up about my support of the Nats.

Finally, I'm from Los Angeles and am a lifelong Dodgers fan. I'm annoyed that all the pundits have failed to mention them as contenders in the NL West. I resent the oversight given the potential strength of the rotation. Don Mattingly as the new skipper will be tested however.

March 29, 2011

Below is an article from MLB.com about my streak of attending Washington Nationals home openers:

Meet the Nats: Gregory a regular at openers

NBC reporter to attend sixth Opening Day in past seven years

When it comes to world affairs, NBC reporter David Gregory is the man to watch. He can be seen as the moderator on "Meet the Press" every Sunday morning.

But one could also add the title of "baseball fan" to Gregory's name. He is a Nationals season-ticket holder and will attend the team's home opener Thursday afternoon against the Braves. It will be his sixth Opening Day involving the Nationals in the last seven years. Gregory missed one Opening Day because he attended his sister's wedding.

March 25, 2011

This Sunday, we'll examine the crisis in Libya. I'll sit down with the two administration officials leading the charge for President Obama: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. As military leadership is being transferred to NATO forces, I think the important question to ask is - to what extent will this administration have to own the outcome in Libya? Is Khaddafy in power a real option as an end to this crisis? Also, did the President overreach his Constitutional authority? This comes as members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have criticized the President's decision to unilaterally send military forces without consulting the legislature.

Plus, perspectives from our roundtable. The question of Presidential leadership looms for this administration as the White House has had to respond to numerous crises throughout the first part of 2011. Joining me will be The Washington Post's Bob Woodward; the BBC's Ted Koppel; senior fellow for the Center for a New American Security and author, Tom Ricks; and NBC News White House Correspondent, Savannah Guthrie.

In his column this morning, Tom Friedman says there are two kinds of states in the Middle East: ones with "long histories in their territory and strong national identities," and then there are the "tribes with flags." He continues to say, "Libya is just the front-end of a series of moral and strategic dilemmas we are going to face as these Arab uprisings proceed through the tribes with flags."